Here we go again

Early stage of "Cursive 1"

Almost a year ago (April 10, 2012, to be exact), I decided to stop writing this art blog. I had kept up with it faithfully with almost-weekly posts for approximately 5 years, and I honestly felt that over that period of time, I had written everything I wanted to write. My posts had covered the many aspects of my life as a painter -- creating my work, exhibiting my work, selling my work, and the additional things I've done to be able to afford to keep on painting, which I love but not as much as I love painting, such as teaching, writing and public speaking. I had also recorded my observations on other artists whose work I admire, exhibits I'd seen, books I'd enjoyed, and other art-related experiences. And yes, there were even a few pictures of Petey, my cat, thrown in for good measure.

So after 5 years of this diligent blogging, I felt finished with it. I also couldn't help looking around and noticing that blogging as a form of communication had lost its trendiness. In 2007, everyone and his brother had a blog. But by 2012, it seemed that no one was blogging any more. Most of the blogs I had subscribed to and looked forward to reading on a regular basis were now added to only occasionally, like every few months, or neglected altogether. Even the bloggers who still posted more than once in a blue moon seemed to be focusing on the general topic of "I'm burned out on blogging, I'm considering ending this blog." If anything, blog popularity seems to have decreased over the last year since I decided to ditch my own blog.

But this morning, the thought popped into my head, "Hey, why not start blogging again?" And I realized that this fits right in with my "behind the times" personality. It seems that I'm always way behind in popular trends. I only saw the first Harry Potter movie a few months ago. With my penchant for thrift shopping, I'm always wearing the "latest fashions" years beyond their expiration date. I'm still using the same "candy bar" cell phone I got in 2009. Why not start writing in my blog now that everyone else seems to have jumped ship?

So here I go again. I had many loyal followers when I stopped last year, and hopefully they will return as readers of my humble blog again, plus I might pick up a few additional fans along the way. We'll see what happens!

Here's the latest thing in my life as an artist, and if you're my friend on Facebook, you've seen me post pictures of this series in various stages since its inception. I'm now working in black and white, both to keep the view plain and simple, and to reference penmanship, or black ink written on a white page. There are two parts to the series: "Cursive," a triptych of 30 inch squares (one of the three appears in the upper left) and "Suspense," a grouping of five 56" high by 12" wide canvases (see below). I'm excited about this new direction and looking forward to eventually viewing these works as a complete group.

As I'm in the midst of a busy semester of teaching, this particular way of working is perfect for me, as the series is created in multiple layers. So I don't have to be particularly "in the zone" to work on them; I can just pick up a brush, fill in a few sections, and stop when necessary. My goal is to be finished by August 1, so I can start to exhibit these works during the fall season. We'll see how it goes!

Beginnings of "Suspense," acrylic on canvas, 5 pieces, each 56" x 12"